A personal statement is a summary of who you are as a person and as a professional, it is not a CV nor a cover letter, a personal statement focuses on who you are deeper than your qualifications and previous experiences, it gives the employer a look on your character as a person rather than just as an employee/student.
A personal statement can be required either for a job application or a university/college application, so with all your other application documents, your personal statement is a strong addition to show the university/ employer why you deserve this spot and what you can add besides what is already mentioned in your application.
In this article we will show you how to write the perfect personal statement if you are applying for university, including how to start, what to write about, and what to steer away from in your statement.
First of all, you want your personal statement to be unique and to sound more like you. In your cover letter you mainly include, in 250 to 300 words, why you want to attend this university and how qualified you are for it, however, in your personal statement you want to show them what kind of person they are accepting, are you a positive or a negative person? Are you helpful to those around you? Are you an impactful individual? You want to highlight the positive attributes of your personality to show what a great person they would be accepting on their campus. There are a few ways to do so.
Tell a story.
Most universities will give you a specific topic or prompt to write about, such as “a life changing event that happened to you” or “what is the hardest thing you have been through and how did you get through it”. These kinds of questions help you show your character through telling a story rather than writing down plain descriptions that don't leave an impact on the reader. Show character development through your story, explain how that certain event changed you, how you were before and after that situation occurred, and what the experience taught you. If the university does not give you a specific prompt, you can think of your own one, think of what describes your personality best and how you think the best way to show that is, or what has shaped your personality the most in your life and why.
Use your voice.
When writing your statement, use your own voice, you want it to sound like you as much as possible, that is what would make it unique the most. Write your statement how you would speak it, while you want to keep it professional, it does not have to be strictly formal, you want to show the reader your personality so you have to be yourself in your writing, show emotions and personality traits, but do not include any curse words, inappropriate phrases, or any thing of such, it still has to be professional.
Be positive.
While writing your personal statement, make sure to keep your tone positive, you want to show the reader that you are a cheerful person, if you write it in a neutral or a sad tone, it will just depress the reader, however, maintaining a positive outlook in your statement will show the reader that you are an optimistic and hopeful person.
Where to start?
Your personal statement should be 3 to 4 paragraphs long. The first paragraph is your introduction, then 1 or 2 paragraphs as your body, and 1 paragraph as your conclusion. The first thing to think about when writing your statement is your prompt. If the university has given you one then you already have that part figured out, however, if not, here are a couple of ideas to help you out:
A challenge or failure you have been through. How did it affect you and has it contributed to shaping your personality?
Is there something unique about your family, your ethnicity, or your background that specifically defines you?
Discuss a topic that you are passionate about and find very interesting. (You can dive deeper into why this topic is captivating to you but make sure it isn’t just an irrelevant hobby such as video gaming, make sure it is something that actually has room to show personal growth and development and shows something about your character).
An accomplishment or achievement you are proud of. Talk about why achieving this thing was of importance to you and what it added to your personality.
Something you think defines you the most and is a big part of your identity.
After you decide what prompt or direction you will be writing towards, you can start writing your statement. It is recommended that you leave your introduction to the end, because the introduction is usually the hardest thing to write, so once you have everything else laid out in front of you it will be easier to write an introduction that links to the body of your statement.
Your body is your story, as aforementioned, keep your tone positive and active, make sure to relate your story to personality traits and explain how these events identify you, in addition, make sure that your story relates to why you want to study the course you chose. Try to show vulnerability in your words, but do not overshare, try to give the reader emotions so that it would feel like you are there and telling the story yourself, build a connection with the reader. However, keep your story simple and do not add unnecessary details to make the story longer, make sure not to exceed two paragraphs by maximum.
Next is your conclusion. Your conclusion should be strong and should leave a lasting effect. Talk about your future plans and what you are looking forward to doing after you graduate. Show enthusiasm and eagerness to accomplish more in your upcoming years and that you know that this university will help you get there.
Once you have written your body and conclusion, it should be easier for you to start your introduction. The best thing to do when writing your introduction is to get straight to the point. Start by introducing yourself, what course you are applying for, and why you are applying for it. Be zealous while mentioning why you are passionate about this study and what excites you about it. Avoid starting your introduction with a quote, the university wants to know more about you and your thoughts, not someone else’s. If you decide to keep your introduction last, it will be easier to explain why you are so passionate about this subject because you will have already talked about it in your body and conclusion.
Lastly, here is an example of a personal statement to help you out.
What is a Personal Statement and How to Write One
What is a Personal Statement and How to Write One
A personal statement is a summary of who you are as a person, and is a great addition to your job or university application. Click here to see how to write one.
A personal statement is a summary of who you are as a person and as a professional, it is not a CV nor a cover letter, a personal statement focuses on who you are deeper than your qualifications and previous experiences, it gives the employer a look on your character as a person rather than just as an employee/student. A personal statement can be required either for a job application or a university/college application, so with all your other application documents, your personal statement is a strong addition to show the university/ employer why you deserve this spot and what you can add besides what is already mentioned in your application. In this article we will show you how to write the perfect personal statement if you are applying for university, including how to start, what to write about, and what to steer away from in your statement. First of all, you want your personal statement to be unique and to sound more like you. In your cover letter you mainly include, in 250 to 300 words, why you want to attend this university and how qualified you are for it, however, in your personal statement you want to show them what kind of person they are accepting, are you a positive or a negative person? Are you helpful to those around you? Are you an impactful individual? You want to highlight the positive attributes of your personality to show what a great person they would be accepting on their campus. There are a few ways to do so. Tell a story. Most universities will give you a specific topic or prompt to write about, such as “a life changing event that happened to you” or “what is the hardest thing you have been through and how did you get through it”. These kinds of questions help you show your character through telling a story rather than writing down plain descriptions that don't leave an impact on the reader. Show character development through your story, explain how that certain event changed you, how you were before and after that situation occurred, and what the experience taught you. If the university does not give you a specific prompt, you can think of your own one, think of what describes your personality best and how you think the best way to show that is, or what has shaped your personality the most in your life and why. Use your voice. When writing your statement, use your own voice, you want it to sound like you as much as possible, that is what would make it unique the most. Write your statement how you would speak it, while you want to keep it professional, it does not have to be strictly formal, you want to show the reader your personality so you have to be yourself in your writing, show emotions and personality traits, but do not include any curse words, inappropriate phrases, or any thing of such, it still has to be professional. Be positive. While writing your personal statement, make sure to keep your tone positive, you want to show the reader that you are a cheerful person, if you write it in a neutral or a sad tone, it will just depress the reader, however, maintaining a positive outlook in your statement will show the reader that you are an optimistic and hopeful person. Where to start? Your personal statement should be 3 to 4 paragraphs long. The first paragraph is your introduction, then 1 or 2 paragraphs as your body, and 1 paragraph as your conclusion. The first thing to think about when writing your statement is your prompt. If the university has given you one then you already have that part figured out, however, if not, here are a couple of ideas to help you out:A challenge or failure you have been through. How did it affect you and has it contributed to shaping your personality? Is there something unique about your family, your ethnicity, or your background that specifically defines you? Discuss a topic that you are passionate about and find very interesting. (You can dive deeper into why this topic is captivating to you but make sure it isn’t just an irrelevant hobby such as video gaming, make sure it is something that actually has room to show personal growth and development and shows something about your character). An accomplishment or achievement you are proud of. Talk about why achieving this thing was of importance to you and what it added to your personality. Something you think defines you the most and is a big part of your identity. After you decide what prompt or direction you will be writing towards, you can start writing your statement. It is recommended that you leave your introduction to the end, because the introduction is usually the hardest thing to write, so once you have everything else laid out in front of you it will be easier to write an introduction that links to the body of your statement. Your body is your story, as aforementioned, keep your tone positive and active, make sure to relate your story to personality traits and explain how these events identify you, in addition, make sure that your story relates to why you want to study the course you chose. Try to show vulnerability in your words, but do not overshare, try to give the reader emotions so that it would feel like you are there and telling the story yourself, build a connection with the reader. However, keep your story simple and do not add unnecessary details to make the story longer, make sure not to exceed two paragraphs by maximum. Next is your conclusion. Your conclusion should be strong and should leave a lasting effect. Talk about your future plans and what you are looking forward to doing after you graduate. Show enthusiasm and eagerness to accomplish more in your upcoming years and that you know that this university will help you get there. Once you have written your body and conclusion, it should be easier for you to start your introduction. The best thing to do when writing your introduction is to get straight to the point. Start by introducing yourself, what course you are applying for, and why you are applying for it. Be zealous while mentioning why you are passionate about this study and what excites you about it. Avoid starting your introduction with a quote, the university wants to know more about you and your thoughts, not someone else’s. If you decide to keep your introduction last, it will be easier to explain why you are so passionate about this subject because you will have already talked about it in your body and conclusion. Lastly, here is an example of a personal statement to help you out.
